Mama Ida: Raila's legacy is not for personal gain

Winnie Odinga, Raila Odinga Junior and Ida Odinga, attend the first anniversary commemoration of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s death at Migwena Cultural and Sports Ground in Bondo, Siaya County, on Thursday, October 15, 2026. [Benjamin Sakwa, Standard]

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s widow, Ida, has warned politicians against exploiting his legacy for personal gain, urging Kenyans to uphold peace, tolerance and love.

Speaking during the first anniversary commemoration of Raila’s death at Migwena Cultural and Sports Ground in Bondo, Siaya County, on Thursday, Ida cautioned against turning his memory into a tool for political rivalry. Raila died in India on October 15, 2025, aged 80, while receiving medical attention.

She urged Kenyans to remember her husband through the values he stood for rather than use his name to advance personal interests, warning that some would invoke his legacy out of genuine affection while others would do so for convenience.

“Legacy is not inherited. It is not to be spent,” she said, urging leaders and supporters to protect the ideals associated with the late former Prime Minister.

Ida asked Kenyans to give Raila three gifts in his memory: peace, tolerance and love.

She appealed to young people not to turn their admiration for the veteran politician or their political convictions into weapons against those who hold different views.

She warned against violence, urging young people not to harm or kill others over political disagreements.

“Your opponents are not your enemies,” she noted, calling on Kenyans to reconcile after elections and accept that political competition should not destroy relationships.

Ida also urged political leaders and elders to listen to young people, allow them to express their views freely and correct them with love rather than dismiss their concerns.

She called on the younger generation to reciprocate by respecting elders and engaging them constructively.

Ida also spoke of the personal pain of losing her husband, saying the family continued to feel his absence at home.

She recalled how she still expected to hear his footsteps and found herself waiting for him, even though she knew he would not return.

Ida urged mourners to grieve with dignity, love and goodwill, cautioning against turning the commemoration into a contest between political camps.

She recalled the Azimio la Umoja convention at Kasarani on December 10, 2021, when she publicly entrusted Raila to Kenyans as he continued his political work.

At the time, she asked the public to take care of him as he pursued his political ambitions and sought to protect the interests of Kenyans.

“Today, I’m sorry to report that I gave him to you alive, but you gave him back to me in a coffin,” she said.

Her remarks captured the personal loss behind the public tributes to a politician whose career spanned decades and who remained a central figure in Kenya’s political life.

Ida also pointed to the Raila Odinga Centre for Democracy and the Raila Leadership Academy as initiatives intended to preserve his vision and pass his ideals to future generations.

She urged Kenyans to honour Raila by practising the values he championed rather than reducing his memory to political slogans or competing claims over his legacy.